The stories of HeroicStories.
by James Washington
New York, USA
My name is Jimmy; I’m a professional firefighter in New York. In my many years of service I have worked at only three firehouses, and we treat each other like family. When we hear 5-5-5-5 ring out, we know that a brother or sister firefighter has died in the line of duty.
by Connie Cushing
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
I was shocked, to say the least, by the news I saw on 11 September, 2001. We turned the television on about one minute into the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. I know this is devastating for New Yorkers who work and live in the city, and for Americans who mourn the loss of fellow countrymen.
By Margaret Dolphin
California, USA
In October 2000 I wrote a poem for my best girlfriend because we’ve been through a lot together. We met when my daughter and her son were in the same Head Start program. For fun, I submitted my poem to an online poetry contest. I never heard back from them, but I didn’t expect to.
By Jennifer Hoeneise
Michigan, USA
I participated in an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) in 2001 through Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. In ASB, participants travel someplace during spring break to do volunteer work. Education is a primary focus of ASB; before break we learn about the issue we will volunteer with.
by Jason Knight
Florida, USA
It was a rainy Wednesday evening not much different from any other. After leaving work, I stopped at the supermarket to pick up the developed pictures I had taken on a cruise a few days ago, then went home.
by The Sassy Texan
Texas, USA
I want everyone to know how my small town reacted to help Hurricane Katrina survivors. We’re an hour outside Houston, three hours from Louisiana. When hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in September 2005, we had no idea it would affect our community.
by Maddy Jonas
New York, USA
In June of 1993 I had just graduated from Towson State University, outside of Baltimore, Maryland. I got a job waiting tables at a restaurant near the college. Money was tight and the only place I could afford to live was a local motel that rented rooms by the month.
By John Craggs
Hants, United Kingdom
It was about 2:00 a.m. and the six-volt lighting on my old motorbike and sidecar was barely coping with the cold, wet darkness. Then I nearly beat into the back of a Mini car parked — unlit — under a flyover bridge. My first reaction was ‘Stupid Idiot!’. I was a 50,000-mile-a-year man back then (much of it at night) and I didn’t suffer fools gladly.
By Susan E. Bunting
Hayward, California, USA
It was a beautiful October day. Unfortunately I had to work late since I had run a training session for my department. I lucked out and got a train right away. I even got a seat. As the train left the Embarcadero station, it picked up speed to go through the tunnel under San Francisco Bay. We shook and shimmied as we sped through the tube, which was a normal ride. Then the lights went out, the train slowed and came to a stop. No worry — BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) occasionally had system problems and Murphy’s Law required that a rush hour trip have some bumps along the way.
by Ed Eudy
Auburn, Washington, USA
In 1997 my family decided to go see my sister-in-law on Independence Day in Tonasket, Washington, a five-hour drive from our home in Seattle. Much of the last part of the trip is through endless miles of apple orchards. We hit the road at around 8:00 in the evening.